Duke fails to pass test through air

He had glanced earlier at the stats on display at Virginia’s Scott Stadium.

“I looked up at the scoreboard at the end of the third quarter,” Helm recalled Tuesday. “I was surprised how much it was … how ‘little it was’ would be more appropriate.”

That was in regard to Duke’s strangely miniscule passing numbers.

By the end of the 28-21 loss, Blue Devils quarterback Daniel Jones had thrown for 124 yards — with a late drive accounting for a significant chunk of those.

He checked in at 14-for-42 for his worst passing rate in two seasons as Duke’s starter.

“I don’t know if you can think about that too much,” Jones said of the dismal numbers. “I think you just have to go back to work. We know what we’re capable of.”

Until the past month, Duke (4-2 overall, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), which plays host to Florida State (1-3, 1-2) on Saturday, hadn’t been accustomed to such miserable results in the passing attack.

After their 31-6 loss to Miami on Sept. 29, the Blue Devils vowed to fix the offensive shortcomings. Instead, those worsened, especially when Jones looked to pass.

“I’m not completely sure what all is going on,” Helm said. “We have to execute. … Catch balls that are thrown to us. I think we all expected to come out better than we did.”

When Helm checked that scoreboard stat listing, Duke had 36 passing yards, so 71 percent of the Blue Devils’ total came in the fourth quarter.

In the two losses this season, Jones is a combined 35-for-83 with three interceptions.

“(It comes down to) getting on the same page as far as their routes … and me giving them the opportunity to make plays,” he said.

Jones has completed 54.5 percent of his throws this year, with five interceptions and six touchdowns. He was at 62.8 percent last season.

Duke coach David Cutcliffe said every aspect of the passing attack has been evaluated. He said he spent time specifically with the receiving corps during Tuesday’s practice.

“The passing game is not what you want it to be,” he said. “It’s a combination of a lot of things — accuracy, drops, protection.”

Jones has completed less than 58 percent of his passes in each of the last four games. Last year, he was lower than that only twice, with Duke winning one of those when it defeated Army amid the impact of Hurricane Matthew.

Jones said some of the footage shows that he hasn’t been properly balanced when preparing to throw.

“It’s something I’ve been working on and looking forward to correct,” he said.

Yet Cutcliffe said the ineffective passing attack isn’t a reflection of Jones alone.

“With a passing game that is as bad as ours right now, it’s 11 of them,” Cutcliffe said.

Jones, a redshirt sophomore, hasn’t had a completion of more than 30 yards the past two games. On Tuesday, he sounded the same as he has in the past, taking responsibility for snags with the offense and intent on fixing problems. So it’s difficult to tell if his confidence has been shaken.